Topic: Scouts in 4.0...

[Magnum357]

I'm just wondering what people think about Scouts in the 4.0 list.  There are a lot of Scouts in 4.0 and yet, they are hardly ever used on GSA (don't know if they are used on the Dyanaverse since I can't login to the network). 

Couldn't Scouts be adjusted in some way to make them more "usable"?  I'm not sure how since we don't have all the neat EW rules from SFB in SFC:OP.  Maybe if we came up with a "substitute" solution to make Scouts more useful, they might be selected more.  For example, maybe give them more Labs or something like that.  Anybody have any ideas?

[KBF-Crim]

Well...having scouts in a turn based campaign can be highly valuable...their presence can be a great strategic asset on the map....for such things as hunting cloaked fleets, etc....

Unfortunately....without the extra EM channels for drone control or jamming...they are still pretty much useless in battle...

[Magnum357]

So in the dynaverses I assume that many campaigns use them in there own "house rules', am I right on this?  What sort of benefits would they receive in campaigns?

[KBF-Crim]

So in the dynaverses I assume that many campaigns use them in there own "house rules', am I right on this?  What sort of benefits would they receive in campaigns?

eh..not really...the dynaverse is a real time senario...

I was speaking of the much slower and more tedious form of play...turn based campaigns that only use SFC to actually resolve the battles...all the strategic moves are done using a "play by e-mail" or PBEM system on a map that can be updated and sent to all the players...

I also dont know whether any such campaign is currently underway...

[GDA-S'Cipio]

So in the dynaverses I assume that many campaigns use them in there own "house rules', am I right on this?  What sort of benefits would they receive in campaigns?

No dynaverse servers have made any use of scouts that I know of.  Mostly we just curse them when they fill up our shipyards, or else we beg the admins to restrict them so they don't get built.

Now, if we could make the natural ECM function work, maybe would could do some things with scouts.
1) Give them some natural EC M
2) alter (all) the other ships so only scouts have  probes
3) make a rule that says you can't disengage so long as the other side has a scout.......

-S'Cipio

[Magnum357]

those are pretty good rules to use for Scouts because as it is now, they seem rather useless.  I like the idea of giving Scouts probes exclusively, you could also give them an added Lab value.  Maybe 25% extra labs then they have now.

I have heard of using SFC as a Battle resolver for PBEM campaigns back in SFC1, but I figured with the Dyanaverses available for later SFC's, it would make that kind of campaign system sort of "old fashion".  Still, I would not mind being part of a campaign like that.  It would definitly have much more flexibilty then the Dyanaverses.

[Skaren]

Such a campaign does exist at www.sfbuaw.com.  The campaign turn orders are done via email and battles are resolved via net or lan using SFBOP.  The scouts can actually see further than regular ships and that is a huge advantage in scouting out a target or guarding a border.  The game has been running about half a year now and is loved by the players.

[Magnum357]

I'm a little confused.  Does your gaming group use SFC OP as its plateform to play campaigns with?  Also, do you use the Dyanverse feature of OP to play campaigns, or do you guys meet on GSA and play senarios that way like many use to do with SFC1?  I ask because I can't play on the Dynaverses, just on GSA.

[FA Frey XC]

Magnum, PM me and lets get your D2 issues resolved.

Frey

[Skaren]

We do not use Dynaverse, we use a set of rules (on the site) to govern a campaign that has grown since the origins of SFB.  Back when it was a board game the first version of these rules came out.   A ref handles movement, construction, etc.  Each player sends orders to him about once every two weeks.  When nations have conflict the battles are resolved via LAN (many of us are clustered in Western Mass) or internet for those more distant.  We use Sector Assault because it records damage and the SFB OP 4.0 ship list.  No one can see the master map and not knowing where enemy fleets are sucks.  So having a scout is pretty helpful .  If you can see them before they can see you, then your doing pretty well.  Standard ships can see only adjacent hexes, a scout can see two hexes.

I think it is technically a Play by Mail game.  www.sfbuaw.com

I also had difficulty getting the Dynaverse to work, but saw a write up on it somewhere on this form.  I still need to sit down and do the instructions I printed out.  If I get stuck I hope Frey will also help me out.  Before I waste any of his time let me install the goo I downloaded and follow the instructions.

I am confussed about the Dynaverse,.. is it like a real time campaign?  What happens to the ships your running, when you quit the game for the night ? 

I am also glad to find this form and others as dedicated to the SFC world as myself

Scott

[Magnum357]

so your site is basically a PBEM version of SFC OP?  I like that alot as I still can not play in the Dyanaverses and your system might have much more flexibiltiy to it then Dyanaverse.   I didn't know Sector Assult records damage, how do you use this data after a Battle?

Another thing, you said a Ref governs construction of ships and such, do you have an economic system?  Do Planets and such create Money for your Empire?

[Skaren]

Yes sector assault dumps the damage results as a % value to root of C: in a text file based on ship names.  We use a economic system in the game which is sorta like this, Large planets produce 30EP, Small planets 20EP, Asteroid hex 10EP.  Each turn you add up your economic points and spend them on things you wish like new ships, spy's, special development rolls etc.  You can see why it becomes key to own as much of the galaxy as you can get your hands on.  The actual best part of the game is the convoluted negotiations that go on between players as the via for space and allies.  Many have said that negotiations and the like have become a bigger part of the game than just fighting.  We have found some ACE players who can do well in combat but if they no interpersonal skills to effectively negotiate then they invariably end up doing poorly. 

Repair to damaged ships is handled by repair rules, you can also import damage into the game for a particular ship via the scripts.ini file (instructions for all this are in (Sector assault readme file).  You should download the rules to read em through.  I am not a master writer and some folks have said they are not that reader friendly, but I think you can get the jist of how the game works by skimming through them.  They are located on the main page for download  www.sfbuaw.com.

Any other ?'s or comments feel free to ask. 

[Magnum357]

Ya, how do Spy's work in all this?  And what are special Developement costs?  Is that basically a form of Technology advancement?

I didn't know you could inport damage results into OP.  That is really cool